Sir John Boys (died 1612), is not to be confused with Dean John Boys who is buried in the Dean’s Chapel. Sir John served at various times as Canterbury MP, judge in the Chancery Court of the Cinque Ports, Recorder of Canterbury, and steward to five Archbishops. He also founded Jesus Hospital almshouses which still operate on the Sturry Road.
What to see:
- John appears here semi-recumbent, dressed in a scholar’s robe, leaning in an uncomfortable pose on one elbow (Image 1)
- his two wives – not daughters as recorded in Pevsner’s Buildings of England (Newman 1983) – kneel in prayer below; they face west not the customary east, as the memorial has been moved from its original position on the other side of the nave (Image 1)
- the large hourglass depicted at the top of the tomb – marking the transitory nature of human life (Image 2)
Sources: see standard cathedral sources
DL
